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Maldon, Essex

Historical Description

Maldon, a municipal borough and market-town in Essex, at the influx of the river Chelmer to the Blackwater estuary, 44½ miles from London by rail (37½ by road), 5½ SE from Witham, &nd 10 E by S from Chelmsford, and with two stations on the G.E.R. It was anciently called Idumania, and it was thought by Camden and Horsley, but on very insufficient evidence, to have been the Camalodunum of the Romans. Two Roman coins, the one of Vespasian, the other of Nero and Agrippina, were found at it, and a large quantity of pottery and other Roman remains were found whilst making the railway from Maldon. An ancient oblong entrenchment, enclosing about 24 acres, and still partly traceable, was on its W side; and is alleged to have been occupied by successively the Romans, the Saxons, and the Danes, but cannot be fairly regarded as of earlier date than the early part of the 10th century. Edward the Elder took post here in 913 to impede the progress of the Danes while a fortification was in course of construction at Witham; and he, most probably, was the originator of the ancient entrenchment. He again took post here in 920; he is said by Marianus to have then fortified the town; and he sustained and resisted a siege here in the following year by the Danes. The Danes, under Unlaff, again attacked the town in 993, and captured it. A small Carmellite priory was founded here about 1291 by Richard de Gravesande, Bishop of London, and continued till the dissolution. A lepers' hospital was founded, at some unrecorded period, by one of the kings of England, and was annexed in 1410 to Beeleigh Abbey, 1 mile to the W. The remains of this abbey, which was founded in 1180 for Pre-monstratensian canons by Robert de Mantel, comprise the Early English chapter-house, the undercroft of the refectory, and a portion of the canon-house. In the refectory there is a fragment of a tomb-canopy, possibly that of Henry Bourchier, first Earl of Essex and Earl of En in Normandy, Lord Treasurer of England, and his wife Lady Isabel Neville, sister of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, who was buried here in 1483. Archdeacon Plume, the founder of the Plumian professorship of astronomy at Cambridge, and John Rogers Herbert, R.A., were natives. The Earl of Essex takes from Maldon the title of Viscount.

The town is charmingly situated on a hill, rising abruptly from the river; commands an extensive prospect over the marshy grounds towards the sea; comprises several good streets, with excellent shops and dwellings; and includes portions called the Hythe, Fullbridge, and the Wants. It is well paved and lighted, and has an excellent supply of water. The Town or Moot Hall is a lofty brick structure of the time of Henry VI., and is sometimes called "the D'Arcy Tower," from Robert D'Arcy, Henry V.'s escheator for Essex, who married a rich widow of Maldon. It contains a court-room, where the quarter and petty sessions are held, a police station, and a panelled council chamber hung with portraits of royal and local celebrities. From its roof extensive views may be obtained of the surrounding country. The Public Hall, in High Street, near the town-hall, was built in 1860; is in the Italian style, of yellow brick, with stone dressings; and is let for concerts, lectures, and public meetings. The County Court, in the London Road, is a modern and handsome edifice. The railway station, at the east end of the town, is a structure of stone and of red and white brick in the Tudor style, and presents a picturesque appearance. The station at the west end of the town is a plain building of brick. The workhouse, erected in 1873 at a cost of £20.000, is a building of red brick in a modernized form of Gothic, and has accommodation for 450 persons. The town contains three parishes- All Saints', St Peter's, and St Mary's, the first two being united for ecclesiastical purposes. The living of All Saints and St Peter's is a vicarage in the diocese of St Albans; net value, £215 with residence. The church of All Saints, which stands in the highest part of the town, is a building of flint and stone in the Early English, Decorated, and Perpendicular styles; comprises nave, aisles, and chancel; has a W triangular tower, with hexagonal spire, of singular appearance, the only one so shaped in the kingdom; was partly restored in 1800, and again in 1867 and 1877; and contains sedilia, a double piscina, a fine old Purbeck marble font, monuments of the D'Arcys, and several incised stones which formerly had brasses. St Peter's Church, excepting the tower, fell into ruin about 1665, and is now represented by the massive embattled tower, with NW octagonal turret, and by a brick building of 1704, containing a library of about 6000 volumes, principally theological, many being rare and valuable works, which were bequeathed to the town with an endowment by Dr Plume, then Archdeacon of Rochester. St Mary's Church, a spacious building of flint in the Decorated and Perpendicular styles, was originally bnilt about 1056 by Ingelric, a Saxon noblemen; was restored in 1628, and again restored and enlarged in 1886, and contains a font of the 12th century. It consists of chancel, nave, vestry, N porch, and a massive western tower with spire. The lower portion of the tower as Norman, with Roman tiles. The living of St Mary is a rectory in the diocese of St Albans; net value, £245, in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster. There are two Baptist chapels, Congregational, Primitive Methodist, and Wesleyan chapels, a Friends' meeting-house, a place of worship for the Christadelphians, and a gospel hall. The Grammar School, which was founded in 1608 by Ralph Brnder, and was further endowed by Dr Plume, has an income of £76, and is managed by a body of nine governors. In earlier times the boys of the grammar school had a distinctive dress of green baize, and they were locally known as " grasshoppers."

The town is governed by a corporation consisting of a mayor, 4 aldermen, and 12 councillors, who also act as the urban sanitary authority and have jurisdiction over the borough and seawards to a distance of 25 miles eastwards of Knowie Sands. It sent two members to Parliament from the time of Edward III. till 1867, when the number was reduced to one, and it continued to send one until the passing of the Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885, when the representation of the borough was merged in that of the county. It is the head of a union and county court district, and has a commission of the peace and a separate court of quarter sessions. A weekly market is held on Tuesday, and fairs on the first Thursday in May and on 13 and 14 Sept. for cattle. The industries include engineering and agricultural implement works, brewing, malting, ironfounding, flour-milling, rope-making, boatbuilding, lime-burning, and salt-making. Much commerce is carried on in timber, corn, hay, straw, oilcake, manures, coal, lime, and chalk. Immense quantities of green peas are also grown in the district around Maldon for the London and other markets, the total despatched by the G.E.R. during one season being over 8000 tons. There is also an extensive fishery on the river Blackwater. The town was formerly a head port, havingBurnham, Bradwell, Leigh, and Rochford for sub-ports, but in 1882 the port of Maldon was reduced to a creek of the port of Colchester. There is a head post office and two banks, a savings bank, a police station, a fire-engine station, and several good hotels. Area of the borough, 3035 acres; population, 5397. Area of the civil parish of All Saints, -57 acres; population, 1061; of St Mary's, 1409 acres; population, 1326; of St Peter's, 1569 acres; population, 3010. The population of the combined ecclesiastical parishes of All Saints with St Peter is 4077; of the ecclesiastical parish of S— Mary, 1320. The suburb of Heybridge is noticed separately.

Maldon Parliamentary Division, or Eastern Essex, was formed under the Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885, and returns one member to the House of Commons. Population, 54,572. The division includes the following:-Witham-Brad-well, Braxted (Great), Braxted (Little), Coggeshall (Great), iCoggeshall (Little), Crossing, Fairstead, Faulkbourne, Peering, Goldhanger, Hatfield Peveral, Inworth, Kelvedon, Langford, Marks Hall, Messing, Notley (White), Pattiswick, Rivenhall, Terling, Tollesbury, Tolleshunt d'Arcy, Tolleshunt Knights, Tolleshunt Major, Totham (Great), Totham (Little), Tilting, Wickham Bishops, Witham; South Hinckford (Braintree Bench)-Booking, Braintree, Foisted, Gosfield, Black Notley, Panfield, Rayne, Great Saling, Shalford, Stisted, Wethersfield; South Hinckford (Halstead Bench, part of)-Earl's Colne, Halstcad; Winstree and Lexted (part of)-Great Tey, Little Tey, Marks Tey, East Thorpe, Aldham, Pontisbright; Maldon, municipal borough.

Transcribed from The Comprehensive Gazetteer of England & Wales, 1894-5

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Ancient CountyEssex 
HundredDengie 
Poor Law unionMaldon 

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.


Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Maldon from the following:


Land and Property

The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Essex is available to browse.

The Essex pages from the Return of Owners of Land in 1873 is online.


Maps

Online maps of Maldon are available from a number of sites:


Newspapers and Periodicals

The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following newspapers covering Essex online:

DistrictMaldon
CountyEssex
RegionEastern
CountryEngland
Postal districtCM9
Post TownMaldon

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